Unfallbericht:The Curtiss Commando operated on flight from Hankou, now part of Wuhan, to Beijing. It carried 55 Chinese soldiers. Visibility near Beijing was poor due to an overcast of about 300 feet. Because of a lack of radio beacons near Beijing's Nanyuan Airport, the crew used a commercial broadcasting station as a navigational aid. The antenna was located some 25 km WNW of the field and the top was at a height of 1000 feet above airfield elevation. On approach the airplane struck the antenna and crashed.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.